Energy Systems

Low carbon, renewable-based energy systems are critical to meet our climate change obligations and support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These systems require a complete change in approach from our current energy system, with more distributed generation based on variable power sources, increased demands from electrification of systems such as transportation, alongside the reliability, robustness and sustainability that we require from our energy.

Generating power from a fall in water has been used across the world to provide energy for society, and in the last two centuries as a way to provide low-carbon electricity. Pico- and micro-hydropower generation systems, under 5 kW and 100 kW respectively, are extensively used in developing countries to provide off-grid electrification.

Microgrids are a network of electrical generation source, storage elements and loads. This can be intelligently controlled to manage power flow between the different elements, supporting on- and off-grid electrical solutions for consumers.

Whole energy systems combine everything that requires energy to operate, for example, domestically we could consider lighting, cooking, water heating, cooling, transportation and communication. Understanding these systems is critical if we are to achieve the decarbonisation required to meet climate change targets and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.